Sharonell Fulton, a foster parent in Philadelphia, is pictured with a young woman and children in a May 23, 2018 photo. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and other Catholic entities have urged the U.S. Supreme Court to protect Philadelphia’s faith-based foster care in a decision expected this June. The…
Symposium: LGBT rights and religious freedom—finding a better way
Alexander Dushku and Shawn Gunnarson are shareholders at Kirton McConkie, where they represent an array of religious institutions on various matters. They were counsel of record on amicus briefs on behalf of religious organizations and religious colleges and universities in support of the employers in Bostock v. Clayton County and…
Lawsuit Charges Illinois With Violating Religious-liberty Rights
A lawsuit filed last week by the Thomas Moore Society, a non-profit public interest law firm, charged that the state of Illinois is violating its own laws by requiring all insurance policies offered for sale in the state to pay for abortion services. There is no exemption allowed even by…
ADF International CEO Reflects on Religious Freedom in Europe Today
Executive Director Paul Coleman oversees the advocacy and operations of the global alliance-building legal organization Alliance Defending Freedom International. (ADF International) ‘We see more cases year on year, and this is, in part, because Christians are becoming more aware of what’s happening.’ One of the major challenges all governments face…
The NLRB Rethinks Its Position on When It May Assert Jurisdiction Over Religious Schools in Labor Matters Involving Faculty Members
Roundtable Expert Witnesses Services for Litigators & Legal Professionals – Click her for more info. On June 10, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB or Board) issued Bethany College , 369 NLRB No. 98, in which it held that it does not have jurisdiction over matters concerning teachers or faculty…
GOVERNMENT Unclear message regarding religion
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” — the First Amendment to…
Delaware Governor to Back Off Religious Worship Restrictions
Gov. John Carney gives a briefing. Democratic Gov. John Carney plans to back off restrictions he imposed on church worship to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, state attorneys told a federal judge Tuesday. Carney planned to issue new guidance regarding communities of worship either later Tuesday or Wednesday that…
US bishops ask Supreme Court to protect Catholic foster agency in Philadelphia
The Supreme Court. (Shutterstock via CNA) In a brief filed with the Supreme Court, the U.S. bishops argued that a Catholic agency should not be banned from participation in the Philadelphia foster care system due to its beliefs on marriage. “The Catholic Church serves orphans through adoption and foster care…
COVID-19 v. the Constitution: The Conflict Continues
The extraordinary measures designed to slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) continue to cause constitutional clashes. My last post ’s opening hypothetical about members of a congregation being ticketed for attending church services has now become a reality, and the Supreme Court has given its first hint on how it…
US bishops ask Supreme Court to protect Catholic foster agency in Philadelphia
Washington D.C., Jun 4, 2020 / 04:27 pm ( CNA ).- In a brief filed with the Supreme Court, the U.S. bishops argued that a Catholic agency should not be banned from participation in the Philadelphia foster care system due to its beliefs on marriage. “The Catholic Church serves orphans…
US bishops ask Supreme Court to protect Catholic foster agency in Philadelphia
Washington D.C., Jun 4, 2020 / 04:27 pm MT ( CNA ).- In a brief filed with the Supreme Court, the U.S. bishops argued that a Catholic agency should not be banned from participation in the Philadelphia foster care system due to its beliefs on marriage. “The Catholic Church serves…
Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to Pandemic Restriction on Church Services
The Story: The Supreme Court recently rejected a challenge to a California pandemic policy restricting occupancy in churches to 25 percent of building capacity or no more than 100 attendees. The Background: South Bay United Pentecostal Church and their senior pastor, Bishop Arthur Hodges III, sought an injunction to prevent…
Delaware governor to back off religious worship restrictions
DOVER, Del. (AP) — Democratic Gov. John Carney plans to back off restrictions he imposed on church worship to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, state attorneys told a federal judge Tuesday. Carney planned to issue new guidance regarding communities of worship either later Tuesday or Wednesday that could narrow,…
Delaware governor to back off religious worship restrictions
DOVER, Del. (AP) — Democratic Gov. John Carney plans to back off restrictions he imposed on church worship to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, state attorneys told a federal judge Tuesday. Carney planned to issue new guidance regarding communities of worship either later Tuesday or Wednesday that could narrow,…
Delaware governor to back off religious worship restrictions
DOVER, Del. (AP) — Democratic Gov. John Carney plans to back off restrictions he imposed on church worship to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, state attorneys told a federal judge Tuesday. Carney planned to issue new guidance regarding communities of worship either later Tuesday or Wednesday that could narrow,…
Carney to back off Delaware religious worship restrictions
DOVER, Del. — Democratic Gov. John Carney plans to back off restrictions he imposed on church worship to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, state attorneys told a federal judge Tuesday. Carney planned to issue new guidance regarding communities of worship either later Tuesday or Wednesday that could narrow, or…
Chief Justice Upholds CA COVID Restrictions Because FFS Grocery Stores Aren’t Churches
(Image via Getty) “Assuming all of the same precautions are taken, why can someone safely walk down a grocery store aisle but not a pew? And why can someone safely interact with a brave deliverywoman but not with a stoic minister?” asks the 6th Circuit in an opinion quoted by…
Supreme Court weighs California’s limits on church crowds during pandemic
The U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington.(Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images) The U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington. WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is set to decide on a religious freedom claim from a south San Diego County church that wants an exemption from California’s COVID-19 rules, which limit large…
U.S. Supreme Court asked to intervene in California’s ‘biased’ shutdown of churches
Worshippers gather at South Bay Pentecostal Church in a 2019 photo posted to Facebook. SAN DIEGO, California, May 25, 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Southern California’s South Bay Pentecostal Church has petitioned the United States Supreme Court to intervene and issue an emergency injunction against Governor Gavin Newsom’s shutdown of…
Judge finds Oregon governor’s coronavirus restrictions on religious gatherings ‘null and void’
A Baker County judge on Monday granted a preliminary injunction to 10 churches, including Elkhorn Baptist in Baker City, who sued the governor. The judge ruled Gov. Kate Brown’s restrictions on religious gatherings “null and void’’ because her emergency order due to the coronavirus pandemic had exceeded its 28-day limit.…
The First Amendment Requires Courts To Stay Out Of Church Disputes
Last week, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru , a case in which the Ninth Circuit dramatically reduced the scope of the so-called ministerial exception, which precludes the government from meddling with the church-minister relationship. The oral argument revealed a sharply divided…
Judge finds Oregon governor’s coronavirus restrictions on religious gatherings ‘null and void.’ Governor to seek state Supreme Court review
A Baker County judge on Monday ruled that Gov. Kate Brown’s restrictions on religious gatherings were “null and void” because her emergency order amid the coronavirus pandemic had exceeded its 28-day limit. Circuit Judge Matthew Shirtcliff granted 10 churches that had sued the governor a preliminary injunction, finding they had…
‘God will protect me.’ Here’s how religious Americans view the coronavirus pandemic | Charlotte Observer
Sinners, immigrants and climate change aren’t to blame for the coronavirus — it’s governments here and abroad, according to most religious Americans. In a new study by the University of Chicago Divinity School and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, Americans who said they believe in God were…
Court Suggests That Lockdown Exemptions for Religious Institutions Violate the Establishment Clause,
In Friday’s Spell v. Edwards , Judge Brian A. Jackson (M.D. La.), rejected an argument that Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards’ shutdown order (which limited indoor church gatherings, among other gatherings, to at most 10 people) violated the Free Exercise Clause. But the court also suggested that an exemption specifically…
Attorney General files motion to dismiss lawsuit against governor
In this June 12, 2017 file photo, Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh speaks during a news conference in Washington. BALTIMORE — The attorney general of the State of Maryland filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed May 2 against Gov. Larry Hogan and several other state officials alleging a…